“The children were given a lot of freedom to discover things for themselves”

Feb 26, 2018

A Herbal House Blessing

It has been a long winter and your home has held you well.

Now, as the days warm, you are inclined to open the windows wider and invite in the freshness of renewal. Now is the time to clear away and make room for what will grow in your own life this season. Spring is the perfect time to cleanse your personal space to eliminate old energies and make way for the fresh and the new, to give love and intention to your beloved house and home.

Weave through this ritual, engaging the Elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth, to invite peace and abundance into your homes, with Brigit, Irish goddess and saint, as your guide.

To Save, To Shield, To SurroundYour House, Your Home, Your Household This day, this sacred day and each sacred day.

AIR: Blend your own loose-leaf incense or use a smudge stick, ideally of mugwort which is our indigenous Native European sacred smudge. If you have a garden you could create your own smudge stick or incense of lavender and thyme which still have aromatic stems, even this time of the year. Both lavender and thyme smell divine when burned and have cleansing and disinfectant properties.

As a side note, keep in mind that as we have appropriated other traditions we are over-using white sage and palo santo and both are becoming endangered. Use what you have or what is available to you, with intention and, as you can, shift your practices to honour our own indigenous traditions.

Recite the following House Blessing as you take the incense/ smudge to each room of your home, beginning in the East and moving in a sun-wise direction (east, south, west, north):

May Brigit bless the house wherein you I (we) dwell;Bless every fireside,Bless every wall and door;Bless every heartThat beats beneath its roof;Bless every handThat toils to bring it joy’Bless every footThat walks its portals through-May Brigit bless the house that shelters me (us).

FIRE: Light a new white candle or a tea light and allow the flame of warmth and light to cleanse the space with all of the blessings of fire including transformation, courage, strength and warmth.

Take the candle to each room reciting, we kindle the light of Brigit’s protection, and adding your own words as you would like.

Place the candle in a safe place and allow it to burn, preferably overnight or in the case of a tea light until it burns itself out.

WATER: Add 10 drops of basil essential oil (for protection and good fortune) to 1 ounce of purified water or use holy water or water from your tap, blessed by you. With a sprig of herb (rosemary/ lavender/ a rose are lovely options) or your own hand, sprinkle each room of your home with this herbal water as you recite or chant:

Deep Peace of the running wave Deep Peace of the flowing airDeep Peace of the quiet earthMoon and Stars pour their healing lightDeep Peace, Deep Peace

EARTH: Select a new houseplant and nurture it as it nurtures you with clean, fresh air in your space. Leave an offering to the nature spirits, fairies or the Divine who protect your space. Fairies especially love whiskey, honey, butter and chocolate. They will very much appreciate an earthy treat.

Children from all around County Galway have been visiting the Garden for our Spring school workshops. They are planting seeds in the polytunnel, searching for the signs of spring in the Celtic Gardens and making bird nests in the woodlands.

Brigit’s Garden is looking for facilitators to work through both the Irish and English language as part of our experienced and enthusiastic Education Team. Brigit’s Garden offers a range of high-quality, inspirational and educational workshops for all ages. This role would involve working mainly with primary school students but may also include working with secondary schools and summer camps.

It has been a long winter and your home has held you well. Now, as the days warm, you are inclined to open the windows wider and invite in the freshness of renewal. Now is the time to clear away and make room for what will grow in your own life this season. Spring is the perfect time to cleanse your personal space to eliminate old energies and make way for the fresh and the new, to give love and intention to your beloved house and home.

Brigit was a herbalist and used wild herbs to nourish and heal body and spirit. Many of her plants grow in our gardens, hedgerows and meadows, providing wild and free medicine that has been used for thousands of years.

This year the Winter Solstice falls on 21st December and marks the shortest day of the year. Solstice means ‘sun-stop’, and for three days around the solstice the sun appears to rise and set at the same point, moving in a low arc through the sky and casting the longest shadow of the year on our Calendar Sundial.

More than just a flavour for your pasta sauce, thyme is a robust herb available almost year around, offering many healing properties. Be sure to continue to add thyme to your soups, stews and sauces, as food is medicine! Thyme has wonderful properties to keep our bodies healthy during the cold, cough and flu season.

The vanilla-almond scent of meadowsweet fills the air this month and her creamy white, frothy flowers polka-dot fields and hedgerows. Known also as Queen of the Meadow, she is a majestic sight, a balm for the eyes and the spirit and medicine for the body.

Sunrise Children’s Festival at Brigit’s Garden is back for 2017 and have just announced their full line-up across four stages, showcasing the best in children’s entertainment with live music, theatre, magicians, puppeteers and much more.

Children from all around County Galway have been visiting the Garden for our Spring school workshops. They are planting seeds in the polytunnel, searching for the signs of spring in the Celtic Gardens and making bird nests in the woodlands.

Brigit’s Garden is looking for facilitators to work through both the Irish and English language as part of our experienced and enthusiastic Education Team. Brigit’s Garden offers a range of high-quality, inspirational and educational workshops for all ages. This role would involve working mainly with primary school students but may also include working with secondary schools and summer camps.

It has been a long winter and your home has held you well. Now, as the days warm, you are inclined to open the windows wider and invite in the freshness of renewal. Now is the time to clear away and make room for what will grow in your own life this season. Spring is the perfect time to cleanse your personal space to eliminate old energies and make way for the fresh and the new, to give love and intention to your beloved house and home.

Brigit was a herbalist and used wild herbs to nourish and heal body and spirit. Many of her plants grow in our gardens, hedgerows and meadows, providing wild and free medicine that has been used for thousands of years.